SOFT-TISSUE PROFILE PREFERENCES Although facial aesthetics has always been a part of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning, the criteria for facial evaluation have been somewhat arbitrary. They are often based on parameters from the field of art or from evaluating faces chosen by orthodontists or other professionals. This book is designed to give a comprehensive insight on a study carried out to determine the soft-tissue profile preferences of a group of lay persons and professionals. It consists of a comparison of the preferences of the male and female assessors (lay persons group) with regard to the preferred profiles for the male and female patient respectively. The similarities and differences in the professional's perceptions of the various profiles were also tested. The various profiles tested in this study were: straight profile, straight convex profile, straight concave profile, anterior divergent convex profile, anterior divergent concave profile, anterior divergent straight profile, posterior divergent convex profile (thick lips), posterior divergent convex profile (thin lips), posterior divergent straight profile and the posterior divergent concave profile.